Jingle Bell Carol
by Xiana Asuka
Summary: [AU] Know what? It's no longer the holidays. Know what else? I don't care. [Akuroku, complete]
1. Chapter 1

Xiana: Hey everyone! I couldn't resist putting up a Christmas-y Akuroku story. Hopefully it will be a little different from every other one out there. And I like to call it _Jingle Bell Carol._ Of course, I'm open to new names, so if you have something better, feel free to suggest it. Onward to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own teh Kingdom Hearts. Been a while since I disclaimed anything…

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_Jingle Bell Carol_

-Jingle-jingle-jingle-jingle-jingle… The sound of the bell burst through the cold, crisp air. It was the sound of the holidays.

Axel slammed his car door and pressed the button that would lock it. The car honked cheerfully, shattering the tune of the bell. Axel kicked the car angrily. He didn't care about the bell, but he truly hated his car. Despite the fact that his parents were both rich surgeons, they hadn't been willing to give their young, 'irresponsible' son a decent vehicle. He went to a good school, took difficult courses, and got relatively good grades, but his parents hadn't trusted him ever since his tenth birthday party. It was the first year he had been allowed to invite girls, and a giggling Yuffie had dared him to kiss Riku. His mother had walked in that moment, and hadn't trusted him since. She could often be heard moaning to her friends about what she could have possibly done to deserve a gay son. He kicked the car viciously once again before heading into the supermarket. The one thing they trusted him to do was to get groceries, and he hated it.

The snow was falling, and Axel huddled into his fleecy coat. He stomped through the slushy street. The bell continued ringing. Axel wondered who would ever take a job like that. It seemed thankless, and who would really want to spend their day outside in the cold winter air, ringing a bell hour after hour in the hopes that some random stranger would give them money? And when all was said and done, Axel would bet they didn't get a cent. Probably only those saintly Christian types, the ones who loved everyone equally and volunteered all their time to help others would do something like that. It was probably one of those blond, preppy girls who always looked like angels up there.

He was right, in a way. As he walked up to where the air door was keeping the warmth in, he saw that the figure ringing the annoying bell was a cute kid smiling at him, all bundled up in a thick purple coat with blond hairs sticking out randomly from beneath a fluffy Santa hat. She couldn't have been more than 13, and Axel felt sort of bad. He resolved to give her some money on the way out. It was the least he could do to spend his parent's money by giving it away to the needy rather than just spend it on junk food like he usually did.

In the front of the store, a huge pot of stew was boiling, and a lady that looked like she worked in a school cafeteria somewhere was grumpily doling out portions to a bunch of hoboes. Axel grabbed a shopping cart and loaded it with the essentials: bread, Pocky, milk, eggs, Pocky, flour, Pocky, Pocky for men, etc. Once he was finished, he pushed the cart forward to wait in the long holiday line. The stewpot was right nearby, and it smelled absolutely disgusting, like old roadkill slowly decaying on a hot Arizona road. Not that Axel knew anything about Arizona. The cashier was just beckoning for him to push his cart forward to be checked out when a little kid excitedly pushing another shopping cart (for Mommy) got a little too excited and lost control. Axel was directly in the cart's path, and the juggernaut propelled him backwards so that he fell into the huge cauldron of soup. As he suspected, the viscous liquid tasted like old roadkill slowly decaying on a hot Arizona road. Not that he would know what that tasted like…

He emerged choking from the pot. The sullen lunch lady used her huge stirring paddle to lift him up and deposit him gently on the ground. If dumping him over the edge as if he were a rat that had accidentally fallen in the stew could be considered gentle.

He lay in a sopping heap until a manager came over. "What happened here?" the manager asked in disbelief.

Axel found the energy to haul himself and his extremely heavy garments off the ground and to point a trembling finger accusatorily at the offending mother and child. "That woman couldn't control her kid, and he crashed into me!"

The woman gasped and puller her child closer. "My little Jason would never do anything of the sort!" She looked gently down at her boy, who looked angelically back up at her. Axel realized belatedly that behind the two was a similar picture of Mary and the baby Jesus. All around, people were grinning and agreeing. Snow began to fall even more heavily outside, and the people began rocking back and forth merrily. Jingle bells started up somewhere, drowning out the bell from outside. The people linked arms and began to sing a song.

Axel was sort of pissed. It only got worse when the evil lunch lady smiled and kissed Jason on the cheek. "Merry Christmas," she said, in a loving tone.

"And what about me, eh? You guys get the fucking miracle of Christmas while I'm stuck smelling like roadkill in sopping clothes in the fucking middle of December?" Axel yelled, losing his temper.

The music screeched to a stop. Jason just smiled benevolently and said, "I guess some people just can't find the true meaning of Christmas," before screeching, "SECURITY!!!" at the top of his lungs. Some of the beefy hoboes advanced menacingly on Axel before throwing him out into the slush.

Axel trudged out to his car dejectedly. He pulled his key out of his pocket only to realize that the lock had frozen over. He then pulled out his trusty lighter, which would melt the ice. Unfortunately, the lighter was out of fire, or 'butane,' as some people called it.

Axel was faced with quite a dilemma. He couldn't go back into the store, from which the Hallelujah Chorus was currently issuing, nor could he get back into his car, with the lock frozen solid. He couldn't call anyone to get a ride, because his parents had decreed that he 'wasn't responsible enough' to get a cell phone, and there were no pay phones around. The sun was sinking, the temperature was falling, and he was soaking wet. It would appear that things couldn't get much worse for him.

Axel walked back up to the air door. Sometime between the 'roadkill pot' and 'out of fire' incidents, the bell ringer had left. Axel felt sort of sad about this. All this awful shit that had happened couldn't me made up for with a generous donation to the poor, but she would have been good company while he waited for the made-for-TV movie that was currently in progress inside the store to conclude.

When he had been standing outside for only about a minute, he caught a glimpse of a Santa hat bobbing away in the distance. He went over to see if it was the girl. When he saw the purple coat, he started running. Fishing his soggy wallet out of his coat, he ran up to her. "Hey! Wait up, girl! Stop!"

" 'This is a holdup,' right?" The voice was definitely masculine, but Axel didn't have more than a second to reflect on this, because the figure tuned and abruptly sank a cold, booted foot directly into Axel's crotch. He went down hard, and his wallet flew through the air to land beside the person, who stooped to pick it up. "Hmm…"

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Axel woke up toasty and warm. His first thought, clichéd though it might seem, was that he had died and gone to heaven, which was surely quite warm. Then he discovered he could smell something, and when he realized it was roadkill soup, he knew he'd ended up in hell after all.

He opened his eyes and found that he was in a bed somewhere. He sat up slowly to find the blonde-girl-who-was-really-a-guy staring at him. He would have said something like, "Where am I?" but the boy cut him off. "You're at my house, yes, I saved your life, yes, I'm sorry I kicked you in the nuts, and you smell like crap. The shower's in the other room." He left without another word. It was left to Axel to get out of the comfortable bed and stager into the bathroom. He turned on the water automatically, cursing when it was cold. It was only after he was rinsing the unfamiliar shampoo out of his hair that he realized he was –and had been- naked. He was not as disturbed as he might have been, given that he had been taken to the house –and bed- of a kid he didn't know, been stripped of all his clothes and possessions, and that his parents were going to ground him, if they didn't just kill him, when he got back to the house without his car or groceries, if he ever got back at all. But because it didn't bother him, he finished his shower uneventfully and dried off, wrapping a towel around his waist. He returned to the bedroom, where the blonde was waiting for him.

"Your clothes are in the wash."

Axel licked his lips nervously. "Uh… thanks…?"

The other boy rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Name's Roxas. Couldn't let you die."

"Uh… I'm Axel. So…"

"None of my clothes fit you. Yours were soaked with some shit or another. You'll have to stay like that for a while. Sorry."

Axel was strangely reassured by the whole situation. He knew what was happening now, so despite the awkwardness, he felt comfortable enough to joke. "Like what you see, Roxas?"

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to save some random ugly person's life. If I'm going to have to do a good deed, it might as well be worth something."

Axel wasn't quite sure what to make of this. "Then… why were you standing out there ringing that bell to raise money for the poor?" He chose not to mention anything about the fact that Roxas apparently thought he was good-looking.

"Money for the poor?" Roxas raised an eyebrow before walking over and patting Axel on the shoulder. "I'm sorry that you, like so many others, were taken in by my 'good little girl' disguise." He gestured to the red pot in the corner that, presumably, contained all the money he had made.

"So… you just wanted money?"

"Yeah. How else is a boy going to pay for all this on his own?" Roxas gestured around the room, and Axel noticed for the first time that it was a huge master bedroom with tons of fancy electronics. "And don't say male prostitution, because I'll assure you right now, I'd rather starve."

Axel hadn't been going to say anything of the sort, though he could imagine Roxas standing on some street corner waiting to purchase him for the night. "So… you're paying for all this yourself?" Axel asked.

Roxas shrugged. "Yeah. My uncle died a month or two ago, and I got this house."

"Oh… I'm sorry…?"

"Don't be. He was a stingy old bastard. Didn't give me a cent my whole life, and when he finds out he's dying, he decides to write up a will leaving me all his money and all his debt. He was a big gambler."

"Well, then how can you afford all this?"

"Oh, I make ends meet. What you saw today was my winter job. In the summer, I hire myself out as a nanny to the parents of spoiled rich brats. In fall and spring…" Roxas shrugged, "I clip coupons." He spoke nonchalantly, but Axel sensed a note of pride in his voice.

"Doesn't sound like anything to be proud of…" Axel muttered.

"Maybe someone whose life I just saved and is currently dripping on my floor wearing nothing but, oh yeah, my towel, would be a little less quick to criticize." He spoke lightly again, but there was something like a warning in his face.

"I'm sorry. It's not my place." Axel took a seat on the bed.

"It's fine." Roxas left and returned with two mugs of coffee, one of which he handed to Axel before taking a seat beside him. "I guess I should start thinking about getting a real job for when I become an old man and can no longer masquerade as a young girl."

Axel snickered lightly now that Roxas seemed to be in good spirits again. "So do you often wear a dress on the job?" he questioned.

"Only once or twice," Roxas answered honestly. "But, hell, if you got paid 200 bucks an hour, wouldn't you show up in a similar fashion?"

Axel cautiously sipped his hot, bitter beverage. "Maybe… I don't think I have quite the body to pull it off. Not that I'm saying you're girly-looking or anything," he added hastily.

"Eh, don't worry about it. I know I look like a girl. It's still sort of sad that you fell for it, though."

"Why do you say that?"

"I dunno. It just seems like you should. You know? Like there would be a headline, 'Attractive Red-headed Teen Reveals Nefarious Plot by Young, Effeminate Blonde.'"

"How would I do that?" Axel noticed that Roxas had once again commented on his appearance in a positive way. He wasn't exactly sure what it meant yet.

"I don't know!" Roxas gave an exasperated sigh. 'Maybe you'd try to hit on me or something, and become suspicious when I didn't immediately fall for your piercing green eyes, flowing red mane, and dashing smile like so many other girls have done."

"Oh, I don't know," Axel said, playing along. "I'm sure I could have convinced you in the end. After all, I am irresistible to men, women, and goldfish."

Roxas snickered. "Goldfish? They see you through the glass and throw themselves out of the bowl in an attempt to win your love?"

Axel put on a serious expression. "It's nothing to joke about. Sources have shown that I am the number one killer of goldfish world-wide, ahead of heart disease, brain cancer, and malaria."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. I guess you're just that hot, Axel." Roxas' voice seemed to soften when he said Axel's name.

Axel grinned. Maybe, despite his previous claims to the contrary, Roxas was falling for him. And that was plenty pathetic on its own, that this 'cool' kid would fall in love with some random guy he had saved from a freezing death. Roxas was cute. Only… "Hey, Roxas, how old are you?"

"17. Why do you ask?"

"You're… older than me? How…?"

"I'm short for my age, got a problem? And why do you want to know?"

"I was just curious. I'll be 17 in a week…"

"I actually just turned 17 yesterday."

"Oh, well, happy late birthday then. I'm sorry I didn't get you a present, but… I didn't know you until, like, ten minutes ago."

"Well, then you owe me, I guess.:

"Well, I'll pay you back right now with a special birthday hug." Axel leaned over and pulled Roxas up to his chest. Roxas didn't resist, but pulled away as soon as he was able to.

"You freak. If you have to hug me, why not put some clothes on first?" Roxas left again and soon returned with a pile for Axel's dry, folded clothes. Axel pouted slightly. Maybe Roxas didn't like him after all. And here he had just gotten used to being homosexual again. See if he ever hugged a nice boy like Roxas ever again if he was just going to be cruelly rejected. After changing in the bathroom, he opened the door just a crack to see Roxas setting his coffee down on a table and leaning back on the bed. Perfect.

"Happy Birthday Roxy!" Axel yelled, running across the room and jumping on top of Roxas. Roxas grunted from beneath Axel, and Axel just smiled. "Is this better now, Roxas?"

Roxas smiled in a somewhat painful manner. "Oh, yeah, much better. I'm glad you waited to put your clothes on first, though."

"Any other person on Earth would love to be in your position right now, and you want me off?"

"Well, I never did say that… It's not that I don't love you, Axel, I just feel so much more comfortable with the warmth of your clothes on me than just your freezing cold butt."

"Oh, thanks. And did it ever occur to you that when you were touching my ass before, it was cold because I had been stuck in wet clothes in December?"

"No, I was touching it after you had been in my bed for half an hour, and it was still cold as a refrigerator full of penguins in Antartica during an ice storm."

"Oh. Well, then who am I to argue with you?" Axel got up and pulled Roxas to his feet. "Wait… you said half an hour? Crap… How long have I been here?"

"Oh, two or three hours." Roxas shrugged. "What's your hurry? You don't love me anymore?"

"No, of course I love you. It's just that my parents are going to ground me when I get home so late, and with no groceries either." Axel chose to play Roxas' 'game of love.'

"Why not tell them the truth?"

"Huh?"

"You know, that you couldn't get groceries because some little kid pretending to be the reincarnation of Jesus threw you out of the store, and that your car's lock was frozen solid, and some random boy knocked you unconscious then took you back to his house. That is the truth, isn't it? If you're still not convinced, you can always say I'm a girl, if it would make your parents feel better." Roxas seemed to be a few steps ahead at all times.

Axel didn't even bother to question how Roxas knew all that. "You're right, it would go over better that way. It sounds like a plan."

"So you're going to leave me after all?" Roxas pouted. "Fine, where do you live?"

"Sorry I have to leave you, darling. I live at 2215 Rosewood Drive."

"Are… you kidding?" Roxas looked at Axel oddly.

Axel stared back. "Noooo… I really have to go…"

"Not about that… 2215 Rosewood Drive?"

Axel continued staring at Roxas. "Yes…"

"I love at 2218."

"Are… you joking?"

"No joke." They stared at each other. There was an awkward silence. "So… you want me to come with you across the street to tell your parents where you've been?"

"Uh… yeah, I guess." Roxas helped Axel get his coat on, and the two headed out through the rest of Roxas' house and out the front door.

They crossed through the drifts of snow covering the street awkwardly. Roxas stumbled once, but Axel caught his hand and helped him up. They continued to hold hands as Axel opened the storm door and rang the doorbell to his house.

Axel's mother immediately opened the door and pulled Axel into her arms. "Oh, Axel, darling, I was so worried about you!"

Axel scuffed his feet nervously, crushed in his mother's grip and still holding tightly to Roxas' hand. "Sorry, but there were some problems at the store, and my car got sort of frozen. Uh… yeah. S…she gave me a ride home and helped me warm up." Axel gestured to Roxas awkwardly.

Axel's father came out from the study to survey the new arrivals. "So… who is she, son?"

"Oh, this is Roxa…s…ette."

"Roxasette?" Both parents questioned.

Roxas chimed in, in a sweet, high-pitched voice. "Yeah, I had strange parents. What can you do, though?" He shrugged cutely. "You can call me Roxy, or Roxette, if it would make you feel better."

"I hope you weren't inconvenienced," Axel's mom said, releasing Axel and leaning over to squeeze Roxas. Roxas clenched tighter on Axel's hand for support.

"No… it's no trouble… I only live across the street…" he gasped, barely able to continue in his falsetto voice.

"Really?" Axel's dad wondered. "I heard the guy who owned that house left it to his only son…"

"No, he was actually my uncle. Um, yeah, it's been nice meeting you, but I'm afraid I have to go now…"

"Will you let me walk you home?" Axel asked, to his parents' delight.

"Uh, sure…" They crossed the street again, still hand-in-hand.

When they reached the door to Roxas' home, Axel whispered, "Thanks for saving my life," to Roxas before leaning over and kissing him on the lips. He then ran back across the street as Roxas blinked confusedly before smirking and walking back into his own house.

"Falling in love with the boy across the street? That's new…"

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Xiana: Oh, what an amazing story. Should I continue it? What do you think? Let me know, okay?


	2. Chapter 2

Xiana: Hey everyone! Man… I'm slow at updating… I'm sorry.

Here's chapter 2! As told from Roxas' point of view!

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I don't know why I saved him that night. Or afternoon, rather. Call it love at first sight, if you will. Or call it our dear Roxas finally developing a heart. Or call it insanity brought on by spending too much time out in the cold. It doesn't really matter to me.

And it doesn't really matter why I saved him. All that matters is that I did. I brought that Axel kid to my house, washed him up, and took him back home. And when I got home, I just couldn't stop thinking about him. It was pathetic.

Mostly, I just kept focusing on what he had said about me somehow finding a better job. Obviously, as a kid still in high school, this was the best way for me to make money right now, but maybe after I graduated –if I graduated- I would find a new way to make money. The reason I had snapped at him like that was that I didn't want to think of the future. I just wanted to live the way I was now. And he had to go and screw everything up.

That was mostly what I focused on when I thought of him. Every once in a while, I would catch myself staring into the distance, dreaming of his spiky red hair, his shining eyes green as… a plant, and his witty grin.

And it's not like I usually think of myself as liking other boys, either.

But with Axel, it felt different. I still tried to display anything I thought he wanted from me. It just seemed harder to understand what he wanted. I was, unconsciously, trying hard with him. Perhaps I loved him then. Then again, perhaps not.

I didn't really understand myself at that point. I really started to forget myself when we started talking. I developed the idea that I would attempt to flirt with him to see his reaction. Maybe I wanted him to love me then. Maybe not.

He seemed capable of carrying on a conversation and flirting back at the same time. When he gave me that 'birthday hug,' with his soft, warm body covering mine, I wanted nothing more than to throw him down and have my way with him right then and there. But my personality wouldn't really allow for that, so I just made a witty remark and life went on. Yippee.

I was truly shocked when he told me he lived across the street from me. What were the odds, really? How about 1 in 1,987,561,243? Impressive, eh? Picked that up from my uncle. It truly was a shame that I was going to have to act like a girl whenever I went over there, lest his parents grow suspicious. I planned on going over there quite a lot.

Everything had changed when he had kissed me. Possibly, it was because he was doing it for his parents' sake. More likely, he was trying to get revenge on me. Huh. As if getting crushed to death by that bear of a woman he called 'mother' wasn't enough revenge. And then there was that slight chance (hope?) that he really, really liked me, and wanted to show me just how much he cared.

For the next few days, I sat around at home, hoping he'd come over or ask me over. Sort of like a girl after a date, hoping the boy will call. When I realized this, I decided to leave the house in the hopes that I could distract myself from thinking of him. Despite my best efforts, I returned home each night hoping he hadn't come and thought I was ignoring him.

After six days, I couldn't stand it any longer. I spent upwards of two hours deciding what to wear before realizing I was acting like a girl again. What happened to tough, cool, confident Roxas? I threw on a blain t-shirt and some regular blue jeans before putting on my girly coat, so his parents wouldn't suspect anything.

I crossed the street quickly. The roads were nearly clear, and snow was falling lightly. Before ringing the doorbell, I mentally prepared myself for the part of 'Roxasette.' God. What a dumb name. His parents stepped out the door the next moment, nearly colliding with me. They were dressed up quite fancily, and Axel's mother giggled and patted me on the shoulder.

"So sorry, Roxy, dear, but we're just heading out to a Christmas party now. Seeing as how it's Christmas Eve, though, you can come in and keep Axel company, all right?" She let me through the door. Before it closed, I heard her say, "So nice he's finally met a girl, and that he's finally done with that Riku boy."

I waited until their car was gone before sloughing my coat off onto the ground. I yelled, "Oi! Axel, where are you?" and proceeded to take a seat on the couch, reclining comfortably and generally making myself at home.

After a minute or so, Axel appeared at the top of the stairs to look questioningly down at me. "Roxas? What the hell are you doing here?"

"That's not important right now. What is important-" here I did my best to place a faux hurt look on my face, "-is that you haven't been cheating on me, have you? Your mother said something about a Riku, and I can tell you right now, I'm not going to be second to anyone in your love."

Axel's face darkened. "So, mom's still going around telling that old story to everyone, huh?" He walked slowly down the stairs to stand in front of my comfortable position. "When I was ten, seven years ago tomorrow, this stupid girl Yuffie dared me to kiss this other boy during a game of truth and dare." He pulled me off the couch and embraced me. "Don't worry, Roxas, you're the only one for me."

"Well, that's good," I whispered into his snuggly chest. He looked even better than I'd remembered, and was just adorable in his blue turtleneck and cocoa-colored pants.

He pulled away from me. "Now that I've convinced you of my fidelity, why are you here?"

I sat back down on the couch. "Don't you want to see me?"

Axel took a seat beside me. "Of course I want to see you, love. I was just wondering why you didn't come to see me earlier."

"Well, I thought you were going to come over and see me… But eventually, I couldn't stand to be without you anymore."

"Oh… I would have come over after my parents left. I just didn't know if you wanted me to."

"Why wouldn't I, lovey? Because of this?" I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. I was really enjoying this game we had going on, and I was hoping he'd take me seriously so I could see how he really feels about me.

"Y-yeah." His face took on a hint of red. I smiled and swung myself into his lap.

"Kisses… are only kisses. They're nothing to me. Don't worry."

"Roxas…" He looked into my eyes before moving closer. I closed my eyes, wondering if he was going to kiss me again. He stood abruptly, dumping me to the floor. "Oh, sorry, Roxas. I forgot you were there. Hey, want some hot cocoa?"

I muttered an affirmative from my position on the floor, and he traipsed merrily off to what I assumed was the kitchen. I waited until he was out of sight before getting up. "So, you want to make this hard for me, eh? Well, I do love a challenge." I went into a massive kitchen filled with loads of crazy appliances. Axel was stirring two steaming mugs of dark liquid, presumably cocoa. I settled myself on a nice stainless-steel counter to watch. He set both mugs down beside me and began taking what appeared to be random supplies out of a cabinet. He placed a saucepan on the stove and started boiling water.

"What are you doing?" I finally asked, very curious.

"I'm making a grand feast for you."

"Awwww, thanks. Is there any way I can help you?"

"No, not really."

"But… I want to help. I don't want you to go to so much trouble for me…" I got off the counter and went over to him, wrapping him arms around his waist. He continued cooking as I held on to him, effectively ignoring me. Damn, he was good at this game. Well, I'd just have to try harder, wouldn't I? I clung tighter and climbed up so that my legs were wrapped around his thin waist and I was peering over his left shoulder as my arms settled comfortably around his neck.

Axel sighed. "You know what you remind me of, Roxas?"

"No, what?"

"One of those horrid little yappy dogs that always begs for affection."

Ouch. "Well, um… wouldn't that make you the abusive owner?" That sounded wrong. He didn't respond, and I felt suddenly uncomfortable. I got off of him and retreated back to my counter, where I sipped lightly at my cocoa. It really was quite good.

After some time, it appeared that Axel was finished cooking. He got some plates, bowls, and silverware out, and served up the different dishes. He carried the food over to the big dining room table, and I followed, taking the cocoa with me. I took a seat next to him, and he wordlessly handed me the first course, fried wontons.

Axel watched me as I took a huge bite. I paused in my chewing to consider it, and determined that it was, indeed, delicious. I informed him of this fact, and he smiled nervously before telling me I should wait until I tasted his other dishes before rendering judgment. It was obvious that he was relieved, though. We finished our meal, which included the eclectic mix of ramen with homemade chicken fingers, quickly.

When we were done, he raised an eyebrow. "So, you still think I'm a good chef, Roxas?"

"You're a million times better than me. I mean that literally. I once burned water, and as many people will tell you, it's harder to screw up that bad than you might think. Everything was delicious, Axel, and my only complaint is that I'll be too full for dessert." I meant every word I said.

He smiled. "Thanks. That really means a lot to me. Do you want to go hang out in my room after I clear everything away?" As I nodded, I couldn't help feeling as if I had passed some sort of test.

I helped him carry the dishes over the huge, fancy dishwasher. As I watched him load them up, I had to wonder something. "Hey, Axel?"

"Mm?"

"So… do you really like cooking a lot, or something? Because you sure as hell didn't appreciate me distracting you, and you seemed really happy when I told you I liked it."

"Nah, not really." He closed the dishwasher door and turned around. "I learned some stuff from my dad, and now I make most of the meals around here."

But what were his reasons then? I followed him up the stairs to his room. It was a pretty decent size. The walls and ceiling were pure white, and a bed with a dark mahogany headboard and dark blue sheets was in deep contrast. Filmy gauze curtains hung over the windows, and the slightly open closet appeared to be quite spacious. There was a stereo system in one corner, and as I looked around, I noticed little speakers in all the other corners. A calendar with a pretty girl in a bikini was on one wall, and tomorrow, the 25th, was circled. Instead of Christmas, it read, 'Birthday.'

Axel noticed me staring at the calendar. "My mom got me that. Trying to lead me down the straight and narrow. I told her I did like girls, but she didn't believe me. She was so happy when she met you, Roxas. It was sort of sad, really."

"Why, because I'm not exactly a girl?" I attempted to continue with the witty banter as I processed what I had learned. He had said that his birthday was next week. How could I have forgotten, when every word of our previous conversation had been ringing in my head for the last six days?

"Yeah."

"Listen, I know you're straight and all, but I'm glad you're making an exception for me." Nice, Roxas. Way to get back to the flirting. Which he's probably going to hate you for in a second…

"Why, of course. Anything for you, Roxas."

…Or not. Maybe I was wrong. This was confirmed when he walked around the bed and cuddled me close. Secure in his grasp, I continued to look around the room. There wasn't much else to see besides a half-empty (or is that half-full?) bookcase and a desk with a laptop on it.

I gently broke away to take a seat on the bed. "Sorry, my stomach's bothering me a bit. I think I ate a bit too much." It was true; the food had been delicious, but in hoping to make Axel happy, I had consumed too much of it.

He sat next to me and rubbed my back sympathetically. His warm hands felt nice. "Sorry about that. I am glad you liked it."

"Oh, it's not your fault." I leaned lazily back, gazing out the window. He folded me up into his arms and continued to massage me. "Axel, look, it's snowing outside."

He paused to look out. Huge white clumps were flying about in a flurry so immense that nothing could be seen of the backyard. "You're right, it's snowing pretty hard. I wonder how much we'll get."

I didn't answer. Axel shifted the focus of his hands to my front, rubbing my belly rhythmically. I could have stayed like this forever, but a timer on his watch went off and he got up apologetically. "Sorry Roxas, I know you said you're too full for dessert, but I started baking a pie a while ago. I'll be right back, I just have to take it out."

He left, and I felt lonely. I sank deep into the squishy bed and waited. As I waited, I reflected on what had happened so far. It didn't' make much sense to me. First, I cam over and he screwed with my mind. I pursued him, and then he got mad at me. I complimented his cooking, and he was happy. Then it was back to flirting for us. I frowned, trying to understand. What the hell was happening with us?

I didn't have long to wait before he returned. "What are you thinking about, Roxas? Or are you angry about something, and that's why you're frowning?"

I did the only thing I could do. I told him the truth. I explained my thoughts, and how confused I was about this whole thing. It was a moment of weakness for me.

He was quiet for some time after I finished explaining. "What is happening with us indeed. I guess I've just been trying to impress you, Roxas."

"Why would you need to do that?"

"I… don't know."

"That's fine. I already told you that I don't have a clue, and as you're in the same boat that I am, it appears that everything will be just fine."

"Is this boat that you're talking about one of those swan boats in a 'Tunnel of Love' ride?" Axel asked, grinning.

"Do you want it to be?" I countered. He got on the bed and lay next to me.

"I was hoping it was a sailboat myself. I've always liked sailboats. Or maybe it could be a luxury cruise ship."

I rolled over so that I was on top of him, looking up at the ceiling. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter. As long as we're happy."

"I'm happy," was what he whispered in my ear.

I don't know exactly how much time we spent like that. All I do know is that at some point, Axel got up to turn the lights off, I pulled myself back on top of him, and the last thing I saw before falling asleep was a peaceful smile on Axel's sleeping face.

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I woke up the next morning and panicked for just a second because I wasn't in my own bed. Then I saw Axel resting beside me, and remembered what had happened. Sometime last night, he must have gotten up and tucked us both under the covers, because I was securely wrapped within the sheets. I rolled over and clung to Axel, pulling his head against my chest. He moaned and pulled his head still closer. A shiver went through my body as I gently caressed his face. He was a perfect angel when he slept, and if he hadn't been so entertaining and cute when he was awake, I would have liked to keep him in that state forever.

At long last, he woke up, clinging to me and yawning. As he yawned, he nuzzled into my chest such that his mouth closed down on my shirt… and my left nipple. I couldn't stop myself from letting out a slight moan. Axel still seemed half asleep, so I tolerated this… until he bit down –hard- and his tongue touched the front of my shirt. His eyes snapped open. I screamed a very masculine scream and slapped him. I apparently hit him very hard, for he tumbled off the bed and hit the ground dazedly.

I got off the bed to huddle beside the window, as far from Axel as I could be. "You little pervert!" I accused. "You put me in your bed and then you assault me? What the hell kind of way is that to treat your lover?"

"Oh, Roxy, don't be that way. I was just trying to deepen our relationship," Axel smirked. His expression quickly changed, however. "I am sorry though, Roxas. If you hadn't noticed, I was really still asleep at the time.

"Yeah, like that's a good excuse," I grumbled, but I was already mollified. Besides, it was his birthday, so I really couldn't be too mean.

To show that there were no hard feelings, I came out from my shelter to where he had landed on the ground. I bent over and tugged his face gently upwards before kissing him passionately. His eyes widened briefly before he relaxed, clinging to me once more. At long last, I released him. "Don't worry, I forgive you… Axel," I cooed, with the perfect pause-and-look-away before I said his name.

"Uh, Roxas… you do know that my parents are home, right?"

I batted my long, luxurious eyelashes at him. "I'm willing to risk it all… Are you?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but I gently pressed a finger against his lips before moving forward as if to kiss him again. He leaned into my embrace before I got up and backed away. "On second thought, maybe we should stop. Yeah, you were right. I mean, your parents finding out? Definitely bad." Heh. Two can play this teasing game, and from the looks of things, you walked right into my trap. How does that old rule go? Oh yeah, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' You were just asking for it.

My inner victory dance was interrupted by Axel getting off of the floor. "Here, I'll go see if they're up yet. Mom usually likes to sleep in late… If they're up, our options are limited. If not, well… I'll let you use your imagination on that one." He grinned knowingly at me and left the room, closing the door behind him. I got back into the bed, which still held residual warmth from our bodies. I was just about to fall asleep again when Axel burst back in.

"Roxas! They… aren't here at all!"

"Mmkay. 'm tired, gonna go to sleep, 'kay?"

"Roxas!" Axel got onto the bed and started shaking me. "Don't you get it? Something really bad could have happened to them!"

I lazily opened an eye to find him looking around the room frantically. "It's all right, Axel. I'm sure nothing bad happened. Maybe they didn't want to drive home because of the weather conditions. Remember how bad it was last night?" He nodded. "They're probably on their way home now. If you want, we could go over to my house while we wait for them."

"Okay…"

I struggled to get back out of the bed. When I finally got to my feet, I smoothed out my wrinkled clothing and grabbed Axel by the hand, leading him out the door. I got on my coat and boots and waited impatiently for Axel to do the same. When he was finally ready, I wrenched open the door and stopped outside-

-And promptly fell into a wall of snow that came up about to my chest. I flailed my legs about wildly, yelling for Axel to help me. He was glad to haul me out and back onto my feet… once he was finished laughing at me, of course. Huh. Asshole.

"I think we know why your parents aren't here," was what I said upon re-entering the house.

"Aww, Roxas, you're soaked. You need me to help you warm up?"

"Yeah, that might be nice… So, I guess I'm staying over here a bit longer. Happy birthday, I'm your present."

"And a better present I've never gotten. And I can't wait to unwrap you."

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Xiana: Thank you to all who reviewed! I loved all the reviews. So… I guess I'll put the next chapter up sometime soon, hopefully sooner than this chapter went up…


	3. Chapter 3

Xiana: And now for chapter number three of my exciting, but short, holiday tale, Jingle Bell Carol! But now this chapter will be from Aku-chan's POV! Yay! Axel! We're going to be reviewing the events from the last chapter (from Aku-chan's POV, of course) before we get to some new events, so I hope there will not be any confusion.

Thank you to IceCold, **Metal Chocobo, IggJiggWigg, Kitsune Bara, **Midna, **Thousand Demon, organization-mischeif15, fluff99, XxDemonic AngelxX, Broken Opal, **and Holly! My 11 reviewers!

I don't own it, but sometimes in the dead of night I make evil plans to. Can you guess? Yeah! You're right! It's Kingdom Hearts!

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My first impression of Roxas was that I could not have been saved by a cooler kid. He knew exactly what I wanted to know before I knew what I wanted to know –if that makes any sense- and he carried himself as if he didn't give a damn what I or anyone else thought about him. And I liked that.

Second impression: Oh, a random nut job just saved me. Yaaay.

It's not that I didn't like Roxas, because I did. More than he or I knew at the time. He just… scared me a bit. He wasn't anything like my first impression. To use a somewhat questionable simile, he was sort of like a pink bunny rabbit plushie that's been spray-painted black in an attempt to make it seem 'cool.' Not to be mean to Roxas or anything, but I wasn't really buying his whole life story. Maybe it just seemed too incredible, or something.

At the time, I was in no position to question him. But I found myself eventually realizing that maybe he was sort of cool. In some strange Roxas way. It let me relax around him. It allowed me to question my sexuality around him, too. Normal as I was, if Roxas is flirting with you, you're going to flirt back. At that point, it was just an instinctive response, like, Awww, ickle cutie's flirting, better humor him.

That changed later, of course.

I loved the way he acted around my parents. My mom can be a touch… over-bearing at times, but he just took it all in stride. And he was really cute acting as a girl. Which was partially what made me kiss him. I got carried away, and forgot that he was a boy, and that I was a boy, and that a boy kissing another boy was very, very bad. I was just Axel, and he was just Roxas, and I kissed him.

Throughout the six days I didn't see him, I kept reflecting on that kiss. I, Axel, being of sound mind and body, did kiss Roxas on that day Friday the 18th of December.

I. Kissed. Roxas.

And how did he feel about such a thing? Odds were that he didn't care. But still, I couldn't help feeling that I had hurt him through my actions. But I still wanted him to be my friend. With or without benefits. I was worried, so I didn't go to see him. But I was bored. And thus, when my parents had to go to a party, I resolved to go to see Roxas, and, if necessary, apologize. And, if necessary, make out with him for hours upon end. I locked myself in my room to convince myself that I was going to go see Roxas, no matter what.

And that's when the little devil came into my house. And screwed the whole thing up again.

He brought up that damned story about Riku, and I sure as hell put that one to rest. I was still playing our little game, and so I held him tightly to me and professed my undying love for him and him alone. And then asked him what the hell he was doing here.

And he avoided the question. Oh, why didn't you come to see me earlier, Axel, love? So then the whole story had to come out about why I was worried about the kiss.

"Kisses… are only kisses. Nothing more," was what he said, as he clambered on top of me and began showering me with affection, kissing me and wrapping himself around me as if he planned on something more than just kissing. Now, this sort of annoyed me. So, nothing I've done means anything to you, Roxas? And yet, you're acting like you want to jump me and bang me 'til the cows come home. The cows in this case being my parents.

And so I stood up, and he fell to the floor. I had a hard time keeping from laughing. I think it may have hurt his feelings a little, so I decided to make him some lovely hot cocoa. And he sipped it sweetly. And then decided he wanted to mess with me some more.

I was trying to cook something nice for him, as a way to apologize, but it's hard to focus when there's a boy wrapped around your neck. Particularly when said boy's breath is warm and sends shivers up your spine. And if he is becoming more attractive to you by the moment, you should probably just give up.

I didn't give up, and I snapped at Roxas. He made a half-hearted comeback and retreated. And I had alienated him again.

By dinner-time, he complimented my cooking. He was partially trying to get back into my good graces, but he might have actually liked the food. Which made me feel good, because I had tried to cook extra well for him. It was sort of sad that he could forgive me that fast. I wondered, was he so in love with me that he could easily forgive me? Did he, in fact, love me?

We went up to my room and stayed there. Poor Roxas felt sick, and I couldn't help but worry that I had accidentally given him food poisoning or something of the sort. I rolled the kinks out of his back, and he seemed to like it a whole lot. If the way he sighed pleasurably and pouted so sweetly when I left was any indication. I quickly took my apple pie out of the oven and shoved it into the refrigerator, and hurried back up the stairs to attend to Roxas.

He was just sort of lying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling and frowning. His face brightened almost immediately when I closed the door again, though. Oh, Roxas, so you do love me after all. But do I love you? Truthfully, I didn't know. And when he explained his conundrum, I was all the more bewildered. I decided that I had been trying to impress him –because I was, in a sense- and told him so. Lying next to him, we joked about boats for a while before Roxas decided to lay on top of me.

It was almost as if he was trying to be aggressive, not so much that I'd freak out, but subtly saying something along the lines of "Hey. I am not yours, and you are mine, and that means that I can and will lay on top of you whenever I bloody well feel like it." Or something to that effect. And I wasn't going to take that lying down. Except for the fact that I was lying down. That was a horrible pun, and I apologize.

I eventually got up to turn the lights off when it became clear that Roxas was tired and had nothing more to say to me. He rolled back on top of me, effectively reclaiming me as part of his territory, and I sort of sighed.

Evidently, he took this as a sign of happiness, for he sort of shifted and kissed me on the cheek before slowly closing his eyes. His breathing grew slower and steadier, and eventually I knew he was asleep. I changed into my pajamas before gently picking up Roxas and sliding back the covers, quietly replacing him on a pillow and slipping in beside him. I only hoped that my parents wouldn't stop to look in on us. Although they'd probably be happy if they thought they found me in bed with some girl. But why should they get to decide what was good for me? That's what made me decide that I was going to sleep with Roxas that night.

In the completely platonic sense of the word 'sleep,' of course.

Which it certainly was nothing of the sort. Roxas burrowed under the coves and wrapped himself around me randomly from the moment I first closed my eyes. And then he would not stop moving. It made me want to stab him, really.

In fact, I was just wondering if I had any violently pointy things in my general vicinity when a warm hand snaked around me and grabbed my ass. I yelled and rolled over to… I dunno, smack Roxas or something. I never got the chance to do anything, because that same hand climbed back on me and grabbed, ahem, a rather different part of my lower anatomy.

And then Roxas hugged me and murmured, "'m sorry, Aku. Love you," and was still. I promptly forgave him and was finally able to get back to sleep.

This chain of events repeated itself for the next five hours.

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When I first awoke, I thought, in a haze of sleep and lack of sleep, that what I held in my arms was my old teddy bear. When I was younger, I unfortunately had the bad habit of chewing on its eyes. I bit down. Roxas screamed like a girl. I was flung out of bed to crash against the wall. As Roxas huddled against the opposite wall, sobbing slightly, I was unable to move, and I felt really bad. Not only bad for Roxas, because I was sorry, but also because I felt sort of vaguely ill from the violent events so early in the morning. And then Roxas started yelling at me. I was still half-asleep, but I think I managed to apologize, because the next thing I knew, Roxas was standing over me and kissing me. Yeah. There was some tongue action going on there and everything.

When he released me, I realized something. Roxas had screamed preeeeetty loudly, but my oh-so-observant parents hadn't come in or anything. Something was horribly, horribly wrong around here.

I decided to mention this to Roxas. "Um... You know… my parents are home, right?"

Roxas blinked sort of strangely at me. "I'm willing to risk it all… are you?" I was going to tell him that that wasn't my point, but he started moving in like he was going to kiss me again. So, naturally, I let him. Except for that he then turned away, like he had completely changed his mind. Fine. Be that way. Bastard.

I decided to step out and see what my parents were doing. Their bedroom door was ajar, which did not bode well. I looked through the rest of the house, but there was no sign of them. When I checked the garage, the car that they had taken was conspicuously absent. I rushed back to Roxas hurriedly, forgetting all my earlier problems with him.

He was lying in bed, and appeared to be falling asleep again, if that devious smirk on his face was any indication. Enraged and panicking, I shook him violently. He eventually got me to calm down, and I started thinking that this might be good after all. Maybe Roxas and I could have a nice chat about our relationship and where it was going. He started pressuring me into going to my house, and I reluctantly agreed. I didn't bother to change out of my pajamas, but just put on a coat and shoes and made ready to leave. Not like Roxas would have given me a chance to change.

So it really was no surprise that I laughed so hard when Roxas flopped pathetically into the huge mound of snow. I was relieved that nothing had happened to my parents –for I do love them, despite their flaws- and to tell the truth, I was sort of pissed at Roxas, for his flippant attitude and for the way that everything bad that had happened to me today was his fault.

When I finally pulled him out of the snow, he was shivering, and soaked clear through. I felt a little sorry for him, so I showed him up to the bathroom and gave him an extra set of clothes to wear. I left him there, promising to return with clean towels.

As I waited for them to come out of the dryer, I made myself some scrambled eggs. I ate them quickly, then realized that maybe I should have waited for Roxas so that we could eat together. But I was hungry right then, so screw that. I took the towels out and folded them up when they were finished drying. As I walked up the stairs, I heard the sound of water still rushing and Roxas humming the chorus to the song 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' by Green Day.

I knocked softly. "Hey, come in! You brought warm towels, right?" Roxas yelled before continuing to hum the song. I came in and set them down on the counter beside the fresh clothes and Roxas' old sopping wet ones. Coughing slightly from the heat and humidity (Roxas must have turned the water to a scalding level), I turned to leave.

As I opened the door to leave, Roxas stopped humming. "Hey, you know this song, right? It's been stuck in my head for a looooong time, and it's driving me insane."

"Uh, that's a Green Day song. It goes,_ I walk this empty street/On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams_, y'know?"

"Oh… that's what it is! Thanks." I turned to leave again, but I couldn't do anything but sink to the ground in amazement as he took a huge breath and started belting out the song, starting from the verse I had started. " _I walk this empty street/On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams/Where the city sleeps/And I'm the only one and I walk alone. I walk alone, I walk alone_..." He continued singing until the end of the song, improvising on the "Ah" part and finishing with one more "I walk alone" as he shut off the water and stepped out into the steamy room, quietly helping me off the floor.

"Hey, what's wrong? I know my bod's impressive, but it's not like I've got anything you don't…" he frowned, quickly throwing a towel around his waist.

I had actually been staring at his face this whole time, and looked down ashamedly before thinking that that maybe was not such a good idea. I quickly shifted my gaze to a spot above and to the left of his head. Somewhere through this whole thing, I regained my powers of speech. "Holeeee shit, Roxas. You… you can most definitely sing."

He continued frowning. "Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. That 'la la la' thing, it's what we call singing, like any normal person does when they're in the shower…"

"But… I… that was… amazing…"

"Aww, thanks. But you know, flattery can only get you so far with me. I'm thinking third base, max. Maybe if you really try, you can get all the way around…" He stepped up to where I was leaning on the counter and wrapped his moist arms around my waist, resting his slick, bare chest on my shirt front and gently kissing my neck.

I stood there, loving his sweet but firm pressure, and the way it didn't matter to him that he was nearly naked in a strange house with another boy he hardly knew. He just wanted me to love him. It eventually occurred to me that I should do something to show him that his advances towards me were not at all unwelcome, so I curled my arms around his neck and forced his chin up level with mine as I crashed my lips hungrily against his.

Roxas' response was immediate. He quickly pulled his hands loose and used them to thread through my hair at the base of my neck and pull me down to his normal level. Obviously not willing to let me get away with even a single act of dominance, he forced his tongue into my mouth and bit down hard on my lower lip. I couldn't stop myself from letting out a slight moan, and I felt myself losing control of the situation as I sank lower and lower to the floor with Roxas bearing down on me. Strangely enough, I was completely all right with this, because I… I trusted Roxas. I trusted him to do whatever he was going to do with me, and I felt that no matter what happened, he would take responsibility.

I'm not entirely sure what gave me this impression, based on my previous interactions with him, but I knew that he loved me, and that I loved him. Parents be damned, I was going to carry on with Roxas until he threw me out or until one of us died. Sounds stupid, but I firmly believed that that would be the case.

Roxas had me pinned to the floor, and I twisted vaguely in his grip, pretending to want to escape. The look in my eyes seemed to tell him that I didn't really want to get away from him, which really seemed to get him aroused, because he started moving to an upright position that would make it easier for him to tear my clothes off of me.

And he had just started to pull off my pants when. The god-damned phone. Started ringing.

We froze, the silence broken only by the shrill yelp of the phone. Roxas helped me up slowly and shoved me out the door. "You better get that."

I stumbled out the door and down the hall, picking up the phone right before the answering machine turned on. "H-hello?"

"Axel, dear, are you all right?" It was my mother.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did you just wake up, dear? You sound out of breath."

"Um, sorta… Roxy and I stayed up late watching a movie, so… uh… she didn't get home before the big storm… So now she's taking a shower, and I was going to make her a nice breakfast… so I had to run all the way here…"

"Oh, Roxasette's still over there? Well, that's fine. I was just calling to make sure you're okay. It's too bad we're stuck out here, but as long as you're doing okay, and as long as you have Miss Roxy there to take care of you, I'll trust you to be responsible for yourself. We'll call you just as soon as we can get out of here. Bye, sweetie."

"Bye, mum." I hung up the phone and sighed. So, what now? She had totally just ruined the mood between us, and what was I supposed to do now? Go back in there and say, Here I am, Roxas, ready to bone me? Yeah, not so sure about that one. But, here I go…

I stepped into the bathroom to find Roxas fully clothed and using my hairdryer to, well, dry his hair. "Hey, haven't you ever heard of knocking, you pervert? And why don't you put some clothes on?"

"Oh, so first you take 'em off, and then you want me to put 'em back on?" I grumbled, but I was sort of relieved that he hadn't been waiting for me to come back so that he could jump me again.

"Yep, exactly. You see, Axel…" he came over and started straightening my clothes, "…I'm just so hungry… and everyone knows that you can't have sex on an empty stomach…"

"So, what you're really saying is, 'Feeeeeeed me, Aku-chaaaaaan, I want to raaaaaaaaape you…'"

"Oh, you got that? Well, if you know what's what, that saves some time. What's for breakfast?"

"Would you like to come find something? We have quite a large variety of stuff downstairs…"

"Yeah, okay." After fumbling a bit (and groping me in the process), Roxas managed to zip up my pants. I led the way downstairs as Roxas clung to me, his arms locked solidly around my shoulders.

"So…"

"I think that maybe some apple pie would be nice," he smiled.

"Pie is for dessert, Roxas. Not breakfast, you idiot."

"Ohhh, you only insult me 'cuz you love me. I see how it is. And besides, it's just sweetened apples and pie crust…It's probably healthier than most breakfast cereals. Hey, get me a plate, whydoncha?" He pulled the pie out and cut two huge slices. I started to protest when he shoved the slightly smaller piece at me and started eating the other with just his bare hands, but he kissed me, saying, "You'll need some energy too, love." He tasted like sweet apple, and with the endearing look in his luscious eyes, I just couldn't say no. Following his example, I picked the chunk of pie up and started eating, looking up to meet his gaze every once in a while.

"So… that was my mom. She said that they won't be back for quite some time. Just, if you cared."

Roxas had finished his pie and was staring at me with a somewhat predatory gaze. Now he got up to kneel beside me. "Of course I care. That means that no one's going to come interrupt us, right? And it means that I get you all to myself for a while, huh?" He stole a bite of my pie.

And that suddenly made me wonder why I was being so submissive. No, it wasn't like me at all. Maybe I was being intimidated by him. Or maybe I didn't want to lose his love. But screw that.

Well, let's just say that my lovely little Roxas was going to have to work a bit harder from here on out if he wanted to be on top next time he got in the mood. Because I'm no uke. Not for him, not for anyone.

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Xiana: Well, that was chapter 3. I hope you weren't confused. The next chapter will be from Roxas' POV again. Yay!


	4. Chapter 4

Xiana: All right, here's chapter 4 of this Christmas-y story! I think you guys will like this one. I like it anyway…

Disclaimer: It would be cool if I owned Kingdom Hearts. It would be even cooler if I owned Christmas, because then I could sell it and buy Kingdom Hearts _and_ an Axely-dolly and Roxy-dolly.

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Something was becoming increasingly clear to me. I wanted Axel. I wanted him. Despite the fact that I had been considering this a game, I could no longer deny the fact that I was truly, deeply, and madly in love with him.

Not that he needed to know that.

I first decided this when I was holding him down in the bathroom. He had complimented my singing abilities, which I was fiendishly proud of, of course. And when I stepped out of the shower and noticed him looking up at me in such a worshipful manner, my first reaction was to give him what he most desired. Which was, of course, me.

"But you know, false flattery will only get you so far with me. I'm thinking third base, at most. Maybe if you really try you can make it all the way around." If there's anything I realized through this conversation, it's that baseball is just one huge metaphor for sex.

I decided he didn't really want me at about the time that my towel came off from around my waist and he was breathing heavily while I pulled off his shirt. And at that point, there wasn't really anything I could do, except continue what I was doing and hope he didn't hate me too much in the end.

Which is when the phone started ringing. I was slightly relieved until I noticed Axel's disappointment. Damn.

I started wondering if he was really fine with this. If I wanted to be with him in the end, this was how it was going to have to be with us until I got him to say that he loved me –I mean really say it, not just joke- and that he wanted to be with me. Aren't I just the sweetest?

And if I wasn't like this, there would be many, many consequences. Like if Axel told his parents. And the fact that I live directly across the street from him. Which could be bad.

I quickly finished drying off, and hastily put on the clothes that he had provided for me. I thought I looked pretty cute in the green sweater and khaki pants, and I quickly started drying my hair and sculpting it into my trademark crazy spiked look.

Which is when Axel returned. I couldn't quite stifle a giggle at the fact that he was still half-undressed and had messy, tangled hair. And he looked like he was ready to get right back to doing exactly what we had started before the phone call. Which sort of turned me on. But the mood between us had been ruined, and even if Axel started stripping and giving me a lap dance was it going to come back. Well, actually, it might, and I looked suspiciously at him to see if that was his devious plan. It wasn't, apparently, because he made no move and stood there watching me for a while, compelling me to make a sarcastic remark. Which I did.

"Ever heard of knocking, perv? And why don't you put some clothes on?"

"Oh, so first you take them off, and then you want me to put them back on? I see how you roll." Touché.

This was just about the best response he could have made, second only to, "Because you're just going to take them off in a second, right?" before walking over to me in a suggestive manner and lifting my shirt to run warm hands and icy fingers over my bare skin. Yeah. I would have preferred that response, but he did well enough. I mean, what would you say in this situation? Yeah, I'm thinking that you're not as witty as my Axel, but feel free to prove me wrong.

…Yeah, didn't think so.

I picked up his shirt from the floor and pulled it over his head. He blinked at me cutely as we carried on the conversation with me, in effect, dressing him. Once finished, I told him I was hungry, so we went downstairs to find something. When I requested apple pie, he looked completely shocked, claiming that it wasn't a breakfast food. Which bothered me for a bit. I had to explain how completely healthy it was before he would believe me, and I thought it best not to mention that I usually had ice cream on my early morning pie.

We ate our pie happily until Axel decided to tell me that it had been his mom who had interrupted our "moment." He sounded genuinely resentful about the whole thing. So he's in love with me as well, is he? Yaaaay.

So, what to do next? I was finished with my pie, and since he didn't seem to want his, I bit off a chunk of it hungrily. He sort of blinked a bit before looking at me with a stony gaze. "Aku-chaaaaaan, you don't love me anymore?"

"It's my pie, Roxas. I don't appreciate you stealing my food."

"Oh, scared you'll get Roxy-cooties? You didn't seem to be worried about that before when-"Axel dropped his pie onto the plate and pushed me down to the floor from where I had been kneeling beside him.

"Like I said, it's my pie, Roxas."

I whimpered slightly. "I'm… very sorry… I won't do it again…" He jerked my arms forward, and our lips met. Somehow, he was getting away with quite a lot. Heh, heh. I loved him being aggressive, but only because it would be fun to break him. For now, I would submit and find my opportunity later.

"Roxassss, so you're giving up that easily…?" Axel murmured, pulling me into his arms and stroking my hair gently.

I looked up into his deep green eyes. "Ohhhh, I feel like letting you have your way with me for just a bit. It's all I deserve for randomly throwing you down in the bathroom and eating your pie…" I turned away and buried my face in his chest.

He hugged me gently and kissed my forehead. "Don't worry, Roxas. I'm not going to force you into anything too… harsh…" It was sweet, but also sort of mean. It wasn't my fault that he wanted me!

Still, we were having a tooth-rottingly sweet moment, and I realized it, but it still felt sort of nice. Awwwwwww. We sat on the floor for a while until Axel felt the need to get up and carry me off upstairs to lay me on his bed. Unfortunately, this wasn't for the reason that I had originally thought, because he used a remote to turn some music on before handing it to me and wrapping me up in the covers. "I'm going to get a shower really quick, okay?" I nodded in approval, and he quickly kissed me before walking out.

I lounged around, making myself as comfortable as could be (which was very easy in Axel's bed). Axel poked his head back in. "Hey, so, I don't want to be rude or anything, but could you… not do anything weird?"

"Nope, I wouldn't do anything of the sort. I'll probably just lay here and fall asleep or something. And then you'll have to find a creative way to wake me up…" I turned my head to the side and gave him a flirtatious glance.

"All right, then…" He slowly closed the door.

And I was a very good little Roxas. For about ten minutes. After that, I just had to start plotting something. Just to rebel, y'know. But I was having a terrible time coming up with anything, and by the time I finally came up with something, which was absolutely brilliant and would have been very fun to use against Axel, he walked back into the room. His hair was flat and dripping, and his eyes were round and wide from all the moisture. Understatement of the week: It was a very appealing sight.

I sat up from where I had been plotting evilly and lying at ease, and shoved a pillow behind my back. "Hey, what's up?"

Axel was frowning. "Hey, didn't I tell you not to do anything weird?"

He doesn't trust me? But aren't I so innocent looking? Then again, that might be part of the problem. "I didn't do anything…"

"Exactly."

"Huh?" I was really confused now.

"Well, normally, wouldn't you do something like barge in while I was showering and take my clothes and make me chase after you naked or something?"

"Mmm, that's a pretty good idea. Do you mind if I write that one down?" My evil plan was better than that, but it never hurts to come up with more ideas. My expression quickly changed to a mocking sneer. "So, you think you can read me, eh? Well, I've got news for you…"

"Well, there's still a problem, Roxas. You see, you did something weird after I specifically told you not to. Which means that there's still the rather large problem of the necessity of your punishment…" Axel approached slowly, smirking slightly.

I 'shrank back in horror.' "Oh, no, he's coming to get me! Why did I have to not be predictable? Can't anyone save me? Please, anyone-"

Axel laughed what was a very good evil laugh, if I do say so myself. "Oh, don't bother. Out here, no one can hear your screams…" He trailed off ominously, sounding like he was in a bad horror movie. Once he was within arm's reach, I saw my opportunity. I shoved back ff the bed and hit him backwards. He fell down very uncomfortably as I happily reclaimed my place on top of him.

"Now then, who did you say would be punishing whom?"

Axel groaned in response. "Oh, I give up. You beat me every time."

"So, you should know better by now, huh? Well, if you refuse to learn…" I adapted my voice so that it was silky smooth, "I'll just have to make the punishment a bit more painful, won't I?" I sort of tilted my head to the side, as I always do when I am trying to be flirtatious. My tongue stuck out slightly from between my parted teeth, and Axel was staring at me very happily. Hm. Very strange.

He noticed that I noticed his expression, and closed his eyes, still smiling vaguely hopefully. And I couldn't pretend to hurt him anymore.

I sighed, draping myself over him, letting my limbs slip over and around his as I kissed him once, lightly. "Oh, Axel, I just can't be mad at you for too long… I just love you too much, so I guess that your only punishment is being stuck with me…" Sometimes I swear I must be bipolar or something. Because even if we don't know what it is, we all agree that I have a problem. Axel's going to get confused about me, and think I have a weak constitution, or something, and that I don't love him, which is simply untrue. So I had to assert myself. "Which is not to say that I'm just going to let you get away with whatever. Because if you mess with me…" I sort of trailed off forebodingly. I lifted my head off his chest and pressed my lips firmly against his. He responded eagerly, seeming anxious and ready to please. I deepened the kiss, lengthening it. And he does love me, doesn't he?

When I finally brought myself to pull away from him, he said something that I thought was sort of strange. "You are the only punishment I'll ever want." My response would have been, "What the hell are you talking about, you crazy man," and just as I opened my mouth to deliver this stinging repartee, he leaned forward, propping himself up on his elbows and pushing forward into my face.

His force vaguely surprised me, and it was this that made me yield to him. He was gentle, though, a far cry from what I'm usually like. And I decided, maybe if he was really, really nice to me and really, really pleaded with me, I might let him get on top of me. Just every once in a while. Once in a very, very long while.

And then the whole mood suddenly changed, somehow. I was on the floor, face down, and Axel had thrown himself on me, pinning me down. I couldn't move. He bent over my ear to whisper, "You thought I was sweet, and kind, and submissive, didn't you? Well, I'm also a teenage boy, in case you forgot." I knew that if I had been able to turn around and look at his face, he would be wearing a grin much like that of a Cheshire Cat.

I resisted briefly as he lightly tugged off my shirt, throwing it to the side. I gave up as he reached around me, slowly unbuttoning my pants and sliding them gingerly down my legs. I could not move. I couldn't. I was completely stuck, trapped, caught, entrapped, snared… Whatever word you want to use from your handy thesaurus which of course you carry around with you everywhere, right? Heh, you nerd…

The one thing I really wondered, through all of this, was if he really meant to go through with this. Somehow, I knew he did. But wasn't this a change from his normal sweet, lovable self? A very radical change?

Axel's heated body covered mine, warm torso pressing into my bare back as he struggled to strip off his pants. This would have been the perfect6 opportunity for me to escape, had I not been distracted by his moist breath against my neck as he panted heavily, lightly bringing his tongue in contact with my skin.

I shivered delicately, at which point I felt fingertips winding their way slowly downwards. When they reached the top of my boxers, they crept under the waistband to start pulling them slowly southwards. Oh… no. He really is going through with this, isn't he?

So here I am, completely naked on the carpeted floor with my discarded clothes around my splayed-out legs. And he's on top of me, seemingly ready to thrust into me, in a motion that will make me his and relegate me to uke status for the rest of our relationship.

"Please, just… be gentle," I squeaked, barely able to get the words out.

He hesitated for a moment, but as I turned my head to the side endearingly, his eyes shone with a new resolve (although that sounds sort of cliché) and bore down on me with even more pressure than before.

Which is about when a siren started up not ten feet away. It sounded as if the cops were here to break up our, ahem, activities, and throw one or both of us in jail. Which might be good news for me.

But it wasn't the cops. It was a very different group of people who were introduced to us a second later.

"This is the Homeowners' Association! Every good neighbor must shovel his or her driveways and sidewalks within five hours! If these walkways are not cleared, there will be penalties involved!" As the siren died down, I mentally prepared my ass to lose its virginity. Sorry, ass.

But it turned out that I didn't have to worry about that at all, because Axel sprang up and immediately began re-attiring himself. He rushed out the bedroom door, and I took the first opportunity to put my own clothes back on before slowly following, unsure of whether or not this was some new trick by Axel.

But it wasn't. I found Axel rushing outside with a big shovel. "Roxas, go get another shovel from the garage!" he snapped at me, rushing outside. I slowly obeyed, wandering out with a shovel of my own at a more leisurely pace to find Axel shoveling snow at a frenetic rate, almost as if someone had just pressed 'fast-forward' on him. I half expected him to start talking in a chipmunk voice as he scurried up to me. "Roxy, quick! We gotta go shovel this stuff really really fast!!!" Too bad. He didn't.

"Hey, what's the rush?"

"We've been in soooooooo much trouble with the Homeowners' Association recently… If we get one more strike against us, they're going to, like, kill us or something!"

I chose not to ask him exactly how they had gotten in so much trouble with the HOA, and instead set to working beside him as we blazed a trail down the driveway. Despite the fact that it was about -22 degrees outside, I was soon roasting beneath my coat from the immense effort it took to keep levering the thick white powder over my shoulder. Eventually I simply flung my coat off, and Axel did the same a few minutes later. In about half an hour, we had the driveway mostly cleared.

"Roxas, you wanna head over to your house and start working on your place?" Axel called. "I'll finish up over here and come help you."

"All right!" I floundered my way through the snow to my own house. I started shoveling from the curving walkway. By the time that Axel meandered over, I had the front half of the driveway cleared and was making an aisle down the side. I was very impressed by the fact that Axel only fell over twice; I had tripped at least 8 times to face plant into the cold diamond dust littering the street in its frozen beauty.

Oh… my… god. Something is seriously wrong with me if I'm spouting descriptions like that. I'm most certainly not in English class right now… I really must be in love with him. Hm, probably I'll start writing love poems and singing them outside his balcony next. With a… mandolin or lyre or some other troubadour-like instrument. But he doesn't have a balcony. And I suck at poetry and I can't play any instruments. So much for romantic, then. Poor, poor Axel. His little Roxy's no good at this lovey-dovey stuff.

But that wasn't really important right now, because we only had four hours to clear off my place or face the wrath of the Homeowners' Association!!! Although, with the two of us working together, it only took another half hour.

We stood together, leaning on our shovels, our breath forming a thick cloud. We were very proud of ourselves for working so well on this stupid slushy stupid stupid stupid stuff.

"So…" I said, finally choosing to break through the silence, "I'm going to go now and change into my own clothes. Uh…would you like to come in and warm up or something?"

Axel shrugged. "Sure. You don't want to play around in the snow for a while?"

"Nah, I've never really been one for snow. I just don't really like it at all. It's too cold, and I'd much prefer to stay inside with a nice cup of tea where it's warm. I get cold easily, y'know?"

"Really, Roxas? You don't look like you would. I never get cold… but I guess I'll come in with you and keep you company." I pulled my key out of my coat to unlock the door and Axel followed me inside. I set the kettle boiling and quickly changed into some of my own clothes before returning to where I had left Axel.

"What kind of tea would you like?"

"Um, er, I don't know. Whatever you're having."

I poured some of the steaming liquid into both of our mugs before adding a Darjeeling teabag to each. After it had finished steeping, I threw the teabags out and cautiously took the mugs to the table before walking over to the couch, sitting one cushion away from Axel. I didn't want to be too amorous, lest he get angry or throw me down again. Despite that, I still sort of hoped that he'd pull me into his lap for some quality snuggle time.

After a few minutes, I deemed the tea cool enough not to scald us, and set up a tray table at the side of the couch.

"Your tea is served, sir." After Axel had sipped at his tea for a while, I felt I had to make a move. So I moved closer. "Hey, Axel. I'm still kinda cold, so… Maybe could you warm me up a little?"

He didn't hesitate at all. "C'mere, Roxas." He simply pulled me close, covering my numb hands with his slightly larger ones. My legs were crossed, and I tucked my feet beneath the joints of his knees. He winced slightly. "Your feet are really cold, Roxas."

"I'm sorry." The silence hung in the air as I relaxed, contented after the previous stressful events. Eventually, he squeezed my hands briefly to indicate he was going to speak.

"Hey, you don't… want to… do anything… else, right?" It was a question, but somehow, I got the impression that if I didn't say, "Right!" or something to that effect, he was going to walk out and leave me. Like, forever.

Fortunately, this was enough for me right now. "Right now, I only want to be here, with you, Axel." I hoped that he heard the truth. For once, I wasn't lying, insincere, or sarcastic. I just felt like being here. And I wasn't going to move for anything.

"That's good. Because right now, I only want to be here with you, Roxas. I… I love you."

"It's sort of weird," I mumbled, growing sleepier by the moment from fatigue and the warmth, "but it just seems… like, it sounds dumb, but I feel… I feel like I've known you for a very long time. Even though it's only been a week. Do you know?"

"I… sort of feel the same way. I mostly just want to protect you. I want to be able to save you from anything and then see you smiling at me."

"And I… I want to be protected. I want to be able to smile at you too. Because I know that I'm not always as strong as I seem. And… I've always been on my own, y'know? So I feel like I need someone there. To help me. Because sometimes I need help." I paused briefly. This was getting pretty sappy. "But… it's not like I'm settling for you because you're what I've got. I'm striving for you because you're what I want."

"I'm… glad, I guess. I'm just happy to know that I mean something to you."

"You couldn't mean more to me. Because I love you, too. Truly." I could feel myself falling asleep. It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open, and I slowly yawned, missing whatever Axel had to say next. "Huhwha? 'm sorry, 'm really sleepy now, sorry…"

"I said, 'Thank you, Roxas.' I don't mean that lightly. It… sometimes feels like words don't have enough power. Like, they can't really show how I feel about anything, and especially not you. It just doesn't fell like enough. Because… I really want you to understand."

"I do understand, Axel. I do." With this, we lapsed back into silence.

I was almost asleep when he suddenly asked, "Roxas, will you… will you kiss me?"

"What?" I swiveled around to look at him. He was blushing lightly.

"I said…I said, will you kiss me, Roxas?"

"I will." I slowly reached up and placed my arms around his neck, hands pulling his head down in the usual fashion as he drew me upwards. Our eyes locked when we were only nanometers apart, and I was the first to look away as I touched my slightly chapped lips to his own smooth ones. It was just a normal, light kiss. And it was somehow completely different from anything that had come before it.

I retreated again, and our eyes met again. This time, it was Axel who initiated the contact, and this kiss was deeper and fuller than the last. And it sorta seemed like Axel wanted to show me the depth of his love. Because, after all, actions speak louder than words, right? And I was determined to show him that I understood, and to match his passion and vigor. But I was still so sleepy…

I fell into his embrace as our mouths separated, my head falling softly onto his shoulder. Axel sat, watching my sleeping form as the warm tea faded and chilled, while the snow began to fall very softly once more.

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Xiana: Slow to update again. Sorry. I'm a bad person. I'm also sorry if the last part of this chapter made you almost fall asleep. Because it almost did that to me. And I'm the one who wrote it, and I'm sitting here at 4 pm. wondering how I can fall asleep when I'm listening to exciting music. And the answer is because I was very very tired when I wrote this down in my notebook, and this sort of reflects that. Still, I hope you liked it!

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

Xiana: Here is the last chapter. It took a really long time to write/type, so I hope you like it! I like…a certain part…which I think many people will also enjoy…

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I shoved Roxas to the ground. Like I said, I wasn't going to take this from him anymore. "It's my pie, Roxas…" I said in my most threatening voice.

Roxas looked as if he were about to cry. "I'm… very sorry… I won't do it again…" I pulled him forward and kissed him.

"Roxas…So you're giving up that easily?" I was sort of disappointed that his tough guy act was just that, an act. Nevertheless, I held him to me, content to hold him in my arms. We sat there for a while, but it eventually occurred to me that I should probably get a shower. Straining, I stood up, still holding Roxas, and carried him back up to my room, taking care not to let him drop or run into any walls. To help me, he curled up into a round little Roxy-ball that promptly unfurled when I lightly placed him back down into my bed. I pulled each layer of the bed up to his chin and kissed him lightly. "I'm going to take a shower, okay? Don't do anything weird."

"I wouldn't do anything of the sort." Unconvinced, I turned on some light music and left the room. I didn't know what he was planning, but my earlier experiences had proved that Roxas could not be trusted under any circumstances.

As I started my shower, I started wondering exactly what Roxas had in mind for me. I could be relatively certain that he couldn't do anything too extravagant, not knowing much about my house, but Roxas had already proven that his greatest weapon was himself. Most likely, he was lying in wait; ready to ambush me just as soon as I stepped outside the room. For this reason alone, I took an extra long shower in the hopes that this would dissuade him.

In fact, I got myself so worked up about this that I didn't even bother to dry my hair, but hurried out to where Roxas still lay in repose, exactly where I'd left him. And after all that, I was slightly disappointed in him. Again. So I advanced threateningly towards him with the intent of doing something to him for causing me so much unfounded stress.

But, in the end, it didn't work out all that well for me, because Roxas pounced on me, hurtling me to the ground. I landed heavily, and Roxas sat on me triumphantly, as it seemed he did a lot. "Now then, who did you say was going to be punishing whom?"

I groaned. Roxas was much too good at this. "Oh, I give up. You beat me every time."

"Well, if you refuse to learn…I'll just have to be a bit harsher, won't I?" Roxas' expression quickly changed to what I was quickly learning to recognize as his 'seductive pose.' Which, really, made me quite happy. I said it already. I was perfectly willing to give in to him right at that moment. Roxas deserved me, if he wanted me, at this point. I was ready and waiting for him to do something, anything…! But in the end, he only kissed me slightly and snuggled into me. Dammit, Roxas! Kiss me again! Now is not the time for cuddling! What is wrong with you? My anger about Roxas' inaction caused all previous submission to disappear. Even when he kissed me again, harder this time, I could only think that he had had his chance, and he hadn't taken it. But still… "Roxas, you are the only punishment I'll ever want." And I meant it.

But that didn't mean that I wasn't going to show him what I really wanted.

And right now, what I wanted was force. So when he next prepared to respond, I leaned up and shoved myself into him, tongue lightly sliding into his mouth. I tried to go easy on him, and he relaxed slightly.

And when I felt the mood was right, I threw him down. The way he gasped in shock was enough for me to understand that he hadn't expected anything of the sort from me. "Thought I was sweet, and kind, and submissive, didn't you? Well, I'm a teenage boy too, and don't you forget it." I was trying hard not to laugh, but it was just so funny how he had been taken by surprise.

I felt like I had to move on. So I pulled off his shirt and pants quickly, with the minimum possible flailing on Roxas' part. I wondered if he was being uncharacteristically obedient, or if I had just caught him that well. So now the time was mine to take off my own clothes.

I got my shirt off easily enough, but my jeans presented a problem. I didn't have the energy to hold my head up and try to unbutton/unzip/remove my pants all at the same time, so I rested on his bare back, breathing heavily, moving as quickly as I could so that Roxas couldn't seize an opportunity to turn the tables on me, especially in such a delicate position. But he didn't seem able to do anything, and only started quivering again when I had pushed myself back up, jeans now firmly aside.

I pressed my fingers down by his hips, and grabbed his boxers. He froze temporarily, but I was able to get them off with some quick maneuvering.

Although it seemed like Roxas actually helped a bit.

And now he was completely naked, and I couldn't stop myself from reaching out and firmly pinching the flesh of his cute, soft little butt before slipping my own undergarments off.

"Please… be gentle…" Roxas' voice was soft and fragile.

And it was about now that I truly understood the situation. I was about to have sex with Roxas. And we had only met last week, and known each other for less than two days.

And despite the fact that I've never been involved in a homosexual relationship before (No, Riku doesn't count), it seemed as if my body knew exactly what to do. Everything just seemed so very familiar. Me, Roxas… it was like we two had played through this situation on many an occasion.

And there was certainly no denying the fact that I had felt like I had known Roxas from the moment he introduced himself to me. Although why this was, I most certainly couldn't say. Everything just felt right, somehow. Maybe, it was destiny.

… Don't tell me you actually thought I was serious.

Either way, I couldn't back down now. I was just about ready to either fulfill all of Roxas' wildest dreams or make him extraordinarily angry at me for being no good in bed.

Or on floor.

But then the siren of the Homeowners' Association Car o'DOOM! started up.

And although I wanted to go through with it and finish what we'd started, there was no denying that if the HOA found even one more teensy problem with our house, we'd be, like, thrown out of the neighborhood. Or killed. I'm really not exaggerating there.

(Cut to flashback swirl, dramatic music, and black-and-white film.) You see, it all started when we moved in. After the traditional grace period of 3 days, the HOA came screeching up to our house, sirens blaring.

"New neighbors! Why have you not baked cookies for the entire street and Homeowners' Board yet?" was what their leader said calmly over a large loudspeaker from a random helicopter that flew in at that exact moment. At least, we think that's what he said. It was kind of hard to tell. Fortunately, I had just baked up a batch, so I quickly raced out with a whole bunch of them on a steaming tray. "It took us a while to unpack our cookie sheet, and then we had to be sure we had enough for everyone… Our last batch is in the oven now," I improvised, holding the tray out to the angry creatures of the car, which were extremely chary of leaving their bastion. I carefully held up a cookie, and the driver slowly rolled down the bulletproof window just enough to snatch it. They set the car into full lockdown mode while one of the lower ranking members tested it for poison.

I stood back and waited. All of a sudden, lockdown desisted and HOA Car Squad Gamma surrounded me, all wanting some of the delectable goodies on my tray. I backed up into my mom. "You leave my son alone, you pervs!" she screamed, leaping into a fighting stance. Fortunately, she didn't have to fight, because the grasping fingers of the cookie-eating parasites were soon sliced off by precise machine gun fire from the helicopter. The leader of the HOA hijacked the helicopter, threw the pilot out to be crushed from the fall, and drove the machine into the mob. There was a huge explosion, and the only remaining survivor was the silver-haired leader of the Homeowners' Association.

He had landed completely unruffled, long hair blowing dramatically in the breeze. He walked slowly up to me and took the tray out of my hands. "Why, thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Strife."

"Tifa. Call me Tifa."

I had started to object. These were cookies I had made! But my mom held me back. "If he knows that you, a teenage boy, had made these cookies, we'd all die!"

The mysterious figure had gotten into the car and driven off down the street. Before he pulled out of the driveway, he stuck one gloved hand out the window. "We hope to see you at some of our neighborhood events after you get settled in. We'll also be sending you a bill for damages to my personal helicopter. And get rid of all the dead bodies? We've got an image to maintain." He had smirked and driven away, leaving a thick cloud of smoke in his wake.

My mom had stomped back into the house, dragging me with her. "Well, if that Mr. Roth thinks he's getting twelve cents of my money, he's sorely mistaken…" she growled, using one of her favorite phrases.

A few weeks later, a bill for 25,000 dollars had shown up. My mom sent a polite note saying that she could not pay the bill until her property, a cooking tray that had belonged to her great-great-grandmother, was returned to her. Actually, we had bought it at a garage sale a year or so ago.

And that's why we didn't mind too much when we received a still-smoldering hunk of twisted metal with the note, "Good as new! Heart, Sephie."

So we worked out a payment plan with Mr. Roth, and after 5 months, everything was all right. Until Mom decided that she'd rather have a light blue house instead of a light tan house. Which didn't go over too well.

And that's how Car Squad Beta was destroyed, although we only had to pay 500 dollars, this time for ammunition for and destruction of a double-barreled, sawed-off shotgun and several high-intensity shrapnel grenades, wielded by none other than Mr. Sephie Roth.

And then there was the 'Flower Garden Incident,' and the 'Your Lawn is .060007 Inches Too Tall Incident,' both of which resulted in numerous casualties. The cemetery was beginning to run out of space, and I was starting to get the feeling that Mr. Roth just liked killing people.

I'm not saying anything about the 'Not Showing up to the Family and Neighborhood Picnic with a Basket of Steaming Hot Rolls Perfect for Everyone and Instead Arriving Late with Only a Half-Eaten Salad Incident.' It was slightly funny after we were no longer in any mortal peril, my mom having performed emergency brain surgery on my dad with a rusty spork and a chicken leg.

Suffice to say that the Homeowners' Association was not one of our dearest friends.

Really, it was quite understandable how worked up I was about this. I just hoped Roxas would understand. Although little Roxy was probably relieved, not having to deal with me after all that. I got up and quickly shoved my clothes on, taking one last, lingering glance at Roxas… my Roxas, before heading out to get a shovel.

Roxas followed at his own lackadaisical pace, and soon set to helping me with the driveway. He really looked quite cute, with his silly coat on, shoveling the snow into piles much larger than himself. I'm sorry, but he was just soooooooo beautiful that I wanted to hold him in my arms and kiss him and make passionate love to him all at the same time. Although I had to finish with this snowy place first before we could do that.

Eventually, I remembered that Roxas had his own place to take care of, and I watched him toddle over to his house, falling a total of eight times.

What a cutie. What a klutz.

I finished up with my side of the sidewalk and rushed over to aid Roxas immediately. I tripped twice in the process, so I suppose I couldn't really tease Roxas too much about his clumsiness. I quickly helped him with the rest of the snow, and we stood together, leaning on each other and our shovels for support.

"So… I'm gonna to go inside and change into my own clothes. Uh… you wanna come in, or something?"

I was sort of taken aback. I hadn't quite expected that reaction from him. "You don't want to… play around in the snow or something for a while?"

"Nah, I've never been one much for snow. It's too cold, and I'd much prefer to stay inside with a cup of tea. I get cold easily, y'know?"

"Really, Roxas? You don't seem like you would…" On further inspection of said Roxas, his teeth were chattering slightly, and he seemed to be leaning closer and closer to me. "I guess I'll come in with you and keep you company."

Roxas grabbed me by the hand and led me into his house, quickly unlocking the door. He pulled me onto a couch off to the side of the kitchen in front of a fireplace (though it was an electric one that gave off no heat) before disappearing up the stairs. I found the switch to the fireplace and turned it on, expecting a puny blue flame like in the fireplace at my house. Instead, it exploded into an orange-y-yellow conflagration safely contained within the barrier. I stared wondrously at the blaze before sinking down onto the couch where Roxas had left me.

"What kind of tea do you want?" Roxas' voice intruded into my thoughts of fire. How long had he been there? And did he really think I knew anything about tea?

"Uh… whatever you're having is fine with me…"

He dumped some bags into water and left them on a counter in the kitchen to take a seat on the couch, one cushion away from me. I was wondering whether he'd move any closer or if I was expected to make a move on him first when he got right back up to bring some tea over to me. I sipped it. It was good.

This time, he sat a little closer to me. Well, here goes… "Rox-"

"Hey, Axel, I'm still kinda cold, so… maybe you could… warm me up a little?"

"C'mere, Roxas." I felt sort of guilty that he had to say something, and that I hadn't really done anything for him. He had to initiate everything around here, it seemed. I sat Roxas down in my lap and did all I could to keep him warm. His feet were as cold as… what was his phrase before? Penguins… in a refrigerator in January? Whatever he said. But I was supposed to be 'Mr. Heat Man,' right? I could take it…

Well, no, no I couldn't. I was about ready to scream when he shifted his legs slightly so that the blocks of ice he called feet were no longer in direct contact with me. God, Roxas, ever hear of this new-fangled invention I like to call socks? Apparently, he hadn't, because after about five minutes, he moved his legs right back. I loved Roxas. And yet, I wanted to shoot him with one of Mr. Roth's various forms of destructive machinery. Which could be anything from an AK-47 to an electric toothbrush, in the hands of that maniac.

But I digress. And I would never shoot Roxas.

All right, maybe with a paintball gun. But nothing that would cause severe injury.

Unless I was really, really pissed.

But I love Roxas, right? Or something.

After quite some time, I started thinking about something else. He… only wanted to, sort of, snuggle, right? He didn't seem like he wanted anything else… but it was always hard to tell with him… So I had to ask.

"Right now, I only want to be here, with you, Axel."

And with these words, I could have cried. He really, actually, cared about me. Which made me realize that this was no random hookup or anything. He had loved me, from day 1. And I had loved him too. Like love at first sight, except that neither of us were teen models/actors/singing sensations. And we were both male. Yeah, you don't see a lot of that in those cheesy romantic movies they tend to show during the summer. To the best of my knowledge, anyway.

"Roxas, I… I love you."

"It's sort of weird, but… it seems, seems somehow… it sounds dumb, but I feel… like I've known you for a very long time. Even though it's only been a week. Do y'know?"

Absolutely. "I… sort of feel the same way. I want to protect you, Roxas."

"I want to be protected." He stopped for a moment, and suddenly seemed incredibly sleepy. "It's… it's not like I'm settling for you because you're what I've got. I'm striving for you because you're what I want."

"I'm… glad, I guess." And I was. To know that he actually did love me, and wasn't just messing around with me again, made my heart burn with a fire greater than that burning in the fireplace across from us. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Because that wasn't even a real fire. "I'm just happy to know I mean something to you."

"You couldn't mean more to me. Because I love you, too. Truly." He yawned widely, and I could feel him falling asleep.

"I said, 'Thank you, Roxas.'"

He was curling in to me, resting his head on my shoulder, and slowly letting his eyes droop down. I watched him. I … I had to do something. To show… that I meant what I had said, just as he had.

"Roxas, will you… kiss me?" I blurted out.

"Wh… at?" He slowly lifted his head to look at me. I knew I must have been blushing redder than a cherry tomato. Not one of those crappy grocery store ones, the ones that are always squishy and orange. One of the good kinds that ripens on the vine or something. One of the red ones.

I am not comparing it to my hair, okay? I draw the line here, and I will not step over it.

Except for Roxas, okay. He is my one and only exception to everything.

And chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting on top and the perfect amount of sprinkles on top. The pure sugar kind of sprinkles. Preferably green. The green ones always taste the best.

Damn, I love me my chocolate/vanilla/green sprinkle cupcakes.

"I said… I said, will you kiss me, Roxas?"

"I will." He seemed to be fully awake now. We leaned in close and our eyes met as we pulled each other in. He looked away and smooched me lightly before looking into my eyes again.

And this time, I kissed him. He eagerly responded to the light probes of my tongue, willingly granting me entrance. I slowly let myself sink farther into him, and Roxas made no move to stop me. If anything, he seemed to encourage me more with the way he pressed my face down towards his and how his own tongue barely seemed to come into contact with mine, leading me on. But it seemed in the end that he was just too weary, because his grip on me soon loosened and his body slumped tiredly down onto me. With one arm casually slipped around his shoulder, I sipped my tea, and the snow started falling again.

Roxas' fingers tapped lightly at the base of my neck. He still seemed sort of cold, so, seeing a blanket on the other side of the couch, I reached over for it. I couldn't reach, so I had to pick Roxas up and precariously snag the blanket. Fortunately, Roxas was holding on to me quite tightly, because he stirred not at all. Or he was just that tired. Either way, I sat back down with Roxas still comfortably wrapped around my legs and secure in my arms.

Watching Roxas sleep was really starting to make me tired. And it didn't help that he had kept me awake all night. I slowly rolled over, stretching out to my full length on the sofa, and Roxas tumbled down beside me. Freeing an arm from beneath Roxas' chest, I unfolded the blanket and draped it over us. I gently stroked Roxas' cheek, and he snuggled closer. And with that, I squeezed him closer still and tried to get to sleep.

And this time, it was easier than you might think.

----------

I woke up on top of Roxas. He watched me with mildly amused eyes as I scrambled backwards, tangling myself around the sheets and him, and I eventually just fell off the couch, taking Roxas with me.

"Uuuhhh… do you always wake up so excitably?" It was true that whenever I slept with Roxas… slept beside Roxas, that is, something exciting happened. "It's okay. It's better than not having anyone warm at all next to you. Because one little blonde boy in bed can only produce so much heat, y'know?"

"Well, I'm glad that I can serve a useful purpose."

"You're really quite light, y'know. You climbed up on me a few minutes ago, which is when I woke up, and you snuggled onto me, but you didn't crush me to death, as I had temporarily feared."

"I'm pretty light for my height. My mom always says I need 'more steak and potatoes on my bones.'"

"But why'd you find the need to get a blanket?"

"Because you looked really cold."

"Awww, but Axel, didn't you say that you hardly ever get cold? If you were telling the truth, then you're the only blanket I need." He tore the blanket away and rolled onto the carpeted floor, smiling coyly and tapping his chest as if he wanted me to join him. I slid back onto him, giving him a light kiss that quickly deepened. We tussled playfully on the floor for a few minutes, although Roxas seemed to get bored after a while. I could tell by the way he shoved me away to the side and stood up, smoothing out his wrinkled, already-slept-in clothes.

I got up sadly and wandered off towards the front of the house. Roxas grabbed my sleeve and followed, restraining me slightly.

"Hey, I'm a horrible cook, y'know?"

"So you've told me," I replied, depressed by the way he had shoved me away previously.

"But my house is really big, right?"

"Yes…" I wasn't quite sure where he was going with this.

"Uh, Axel, do you… do you think that … your parents would be okay with it if … if you maybe moved in here with me?"

"Roxas, I…" I turned towards him, staring solemnly into his eyes before breaking into a wide grin. "Are you kidding me? Hell yes! I'd love to!" I kissed him again, very forcefully this time, slamming him against the wall in my exuberance. He was completely willing to cave in to my pressure, because it seemed he was just as happy as I was.

When I finally got my emotions and rampant energy under control, I pulled away slowly, blushing again. "S-sorry about that, Roxas."

"Aww, don't worry about it. We've been over this before. Why would I mind if you kiss me?"

"Well, I was sort of harsh and…" I stopped talking. My parents were pulling in to the opposite driveway. "Oh, God… I don't know if my parents will agree… Think we can convince them?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Is grass green?"

"Well, it's brown when it's dead. And in Kentucky, they have this weird grass that is actually bl-"

"That was a rhetorical question, darling."

"Okay… so, you really think this will work?"

"Trust me."

"I do trust you, Roxas." Most of the time, anyway.

"Good! You stay here. I'll be right back." He fluffed up his hair, zipped up his coat, and took off running through the snow. He only tripped once, and I was very proud. As my mom got out of the car, he jumped out and began chatting animatedly with her. After quite some time, he ran back over to the house, skipping up the driveway. He burst in, slammed the door, and… _glomped_ me.

"Axel! Axel, I did it! I did it! You get to live with me!"

"Really? How'd you manage that?"

"Oh… I have my ways… Your parents will be coming over to eat with us two nights a week, but other than that, we have complete independence!"

"Wow…" I hadn't quite thought that he'd actually go through with it… or that he'd actually be able to convince them. Rule Number 1: Never underestimate Roxas. "So… where do I sleep?"

"Well… I don't exactly have a guest room, so it's either roughing it on the couch or bunking with me. Take your pick."

"Oh, you know I'd choose you any day…"

"Mmm, yeah. You know, this is probably the weirdest situation I've ever found myself in." So, you didn't really think any of this out, did you? No faith in yourself? That's not it… Just trying to make me feel better? Maybe…

"Yeah, I think I'm going to have to agree with that." Time for reassurance. I hugged Roxas close. "But it's still the best birthday present I've ever gotten."

"Me too."

We kissed again, and despite the fact that I was the happiest I had been in a long time, something told me that I'd soon be regretting this turn of events…

----------------------

Xiana: Oh, how's that for a cliffy!? Sadly… the sequel will not be up until after I'm finished with the new story I'm working on. I call it KH: Reflection, and the prologue will be up soon. I think it's been beta'd. So… more on that later, and I'll post a note when the part 2 is started. Anyone have any suggestions for the title? Cuz I have no idea what to call it yet.

(Gets killed by readers) I've got too many plot bunnies and not enough time, so I'll apologize again. Sorry for leaving it with such an ending, and sorry for not making this a long story, and SuperSorry for not getting up the bloopers yet!!!!! (For ISWASM) Nice acronym, yes? But I really did like writing this story, and I hope you liked reading it enough to wait up for the sequel thing.

And I hope you'll review, too.


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